Consequences
by RedDinah
Summary: Futurefic; Just an exploration of how the rift developed between Clark and Lex. Chlex also
1. Default Chapter

Title: Consequences (1/?) Author: RedDinah  
  
Email: reddinah@hotmail.com  
  
Summary: Futurefic; Just an exploration of how the rift developed between Clark and Lex. Chlex also.  
  
Rating: PG for now, who knows where it will go  
  
Category: Drama/Romance  
  
Pairings: Chlex  
  
Spoilers: None; you all watch the show anyways right?? Disclaimer: SMALLVILLE and its characters do not belong to me. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.  
  
Distribution: All you have to do is ask.  
  
Author's Notes: I don't know how I feel about this story; Getting the proper characterization of all those in my story is very important. Personally I find nothing worse than fics that make Lex into a sappy romantic for example. I mean the reason we write about these characters is because we admire them. So the least we can do is write words they would actually speak, and do things that they would actually do. So basically, I hope I get some feedback on this first chapter; please tell me how you feel and give suggestions. Feedback will certainly be one of the deciding factors of whether or not I continue this story  
  
Consequences Prologue  
  
Looking back, he couldn't regret anything that had happened. Those five years had been the fleeting brightness in his otherwise dark life. Although things would have been different, much less complicated and perhaps even better if she hadn't been in his life, he could never regret one moment of it.  
All the hatred that had come from their all too short time together. perhaps it had been doomed from the beginning; it certainly seemed to him that most things in his life were. But it was a doom he embraced and would embrace over and over again, like a moth to a flame. It had been hot, passionate and brutal sometimes, but more than anything else, it had been real. The only real thing he could cling to in his life except for his mother. His whole life had been one of deceit and lies; she had been the exception to the rule. She had taught him that it wasn't all a waste, and for that, it was worth a thousand dooms.  
  
Chapter One  
  
Lex Luther didn't particularly enjoy giving university lectures. He didn't really have any problems with speaking in front of crowds; the class evaluations actually informed him that he had talent not only for speaking well, but maintaining a class's interest in the material. It was really just boring. Most people he met were boring. Half of them were only in school because their "daddy" had paid to get them out of the house and doing something constructive. He had been born into that same privilege, but god dammit if he was going to let his father carry him through life like a child. Most of the students really weren't that intelligent, or motivated enough to really amount to much. And of the poor students, taking out student loans to follow the dream of success? Most would never actually make it inside the boardrooms of which they dreamed. Because of course in corporate America the cliché ran loud and clear; it didn't matter what you knew, it was who you knew. It was a colossal waste of time he thought. University these days was nothing but a breeding ground for people who pretended to have intelligent opinions half the time and spent the rest of the time getting drunk and being childish. He knew; he'd been there to see it. Predictable and boring. Many people upon discovering this rather dim opinion he had of such a sacred and valued institution called him an elitist bastard who was probably the worse than the rest combined. Lex just shrugged it off; he was entitled to his opinion.  
But of course most people did not know what Lex really felt about such things. Outwardly he was friendly to his students, he marked assignments fairly, and he told jokes in class. Most of them liked him even if they were a little in awe of him. The women more often than not were infatuated with him, and the men were infatuated with what he was; the embodiment of the kind of success they wanted for themselves.  
Second day of term. He walked in and set up the computer for the PowerPoint presentation he had prepared. The class began to quiet down as the screen lit up and his microphone came on.  
"Good afternoon," He said. "Just a few housekeeping things before we get started. If anyone doesn't have a syllabus, come and get one up at the front. And please make sure you're on the class list. This is Finance 412 Investment principles and this course examines securities and securities markets with emphasis on stocks and bonds so please make sure you're in the right place. I can't stress this enough, you don't want to get to writing your first midterm and then realize that you aren't even registered for this course. And although many of you may find it enough just to come here and listen to my sheer charm and wit without actually being registered, I'm sure most of your parents won't feel the same way." He paused allowing the low titter of laughter to subside. "Unfortunately, this class is far too large for me to get to know all of you personally so you'll be expected to do your own catching up. With 450 of you in here, it's all too easy to miss one."  
  
He was remarkably good at this, Chloe Sullivan thought as she watched Lex captivate his audience. She wondered if it was all an act or if he actually enjoyed being up there. She had been here on Monday too, shocked to see that the Lex Luthor was the professor that her class list had read "to be announced." She hadn't seen him since she had graduated and they had all left Smallville. And somehow after he and Clark had stopped talking, she hadn't really given him a lot of thought since. At least not in the sense of someone she had known once. She followed news on LexCorp, with hunger and knew that someday she would meet him again to get that expose she had always sought after in high school. But now, seeing him like this was different. He seemed more human, not that picture of the cold businessman that she had created to replace the person. Now, seeing him up in front of her, winning the hearts of all the girls, or at least all the ones she was sitting next to, she began to think about Lex Luthor the man she had known for the first time in almost three years. They had never been friends, her and Lex. They were only brought together because of Clark, and to an extent after her dealings with his father had come out. Those last few months had been like living in hell. The truth was finally coming out about Lex's investigations of Clark, and the friendship that probably never should have been was replaced by anger and the pain of betrayal. Chloe had never admitted it to Clark, but she had secretly identified with Lex, and all his quests for the truth about the mysterious Clark Kent. Hadn't she of course done the same thing? Clark wouldn't see that he had betrayed Lex in a way as well; at least he had in Lex's mind. Clark probably never would see that. But Clark had never been good at trusting his friends, something she had never understood. She knew he was afraid for himself and at the same time had some sort of feeling that keeping secrets would protect his friends Personally, Chloe could think of far more incidences in which knowing Clark's secrets would have saved them all a lot of grief and pain, then she could of ones where it was better to not know. At least their friendship had survived. Things had been so rocky between them for so long that she was just grateful that she still had her best friend. Of course he didn't know that she knew his secret, it had been something she had had to figure out for herself, and had never told him that she knew the truth. Perhaps someday it would be useful to know. Chloe also honestly believed that Lex would never have used or exploited Clark in any way. Sure, Lex had some major issues, but he had a sense of loyalty that was staggering, even more so considering the string of people who had betrayed him; his father, Helen along with almost every other woman he had known. And being lied to for three years from someone he probably had considered his best friend? In Lex's eyes, and in the eyes of probably anyone in that situation, that was the worst betrayal of all.  
She sighed to herself. It had all become so very complicated. The tragedy of it all was that no one was really right or wrong in the end. Clark and Lex needed to learn to understand each other's side of it. Both of them had to learn some empathy.  
But now here she was sitting in a lecture theatre listening to a man who had used to be a major player in her life; a man she had never expected to see again in a social setting. Would she sit through the class for the whole term and never approach him? It could be done; as he had said himself, he would go the whole term without seeing her if that's what she wanted. But even if that's what she did want, it wasn't in Chloe's nature to back away from something like this. She was too curious to see what Lex was doing after all these years. Curious. and slightly nostalgic despite herself for what had been, before friendships failed and everyone grew up.  
Chloe waited until class was over and walked down to the front and got into the line where many students were attempting to have their five minutes with Lex. He didn't even notice who she was until she was standing right in front of her  
"Professor Luthor, I need some help with my homework and I was hoping you'd be able to give me some private tutoring."  
Lex looked up, surprised at the voice and what it was saying. He looked at her. Lex had never really considered Chloe Sullivan. She was not much more to him other than an amusement of a high school girl's bold attempts to interview someone like him. Not that she wasn't bright; Lex could tell almost immediately after his first introduction to her that she would certainly outdo all of her contemporaries in Smallville. She was the shining star of that class; cynical and aware of the way life worked. She was nothing like the naive and idealistic Lana Lang. She was also quick, bright and had the looks that would get her exactly what she wanted in life. He knew of course of her dealings with his father, but held no grudge. As smart as she was, at the time she had still been a young girl that fell into the trap of a man who had been manipulating and playing the game since before she was born. It had been out of her power from the beginning. Lex only wished that she had come to him for help, but he knew she was far too independent to have done that.  
Stubborn, attractive, cynical, brilliant. She had all that it took. All this he knew about Chloe. But it had all seemed rather obvious to him. Just another high school student with a bright future. And she had been much too young to have been of any value to him; Lex knew he could be ruthless, but he would never sink to the level of using a 16 year old girl for his own agenda as his father had done. For all of these reasons, Chloe was probably the first person he had forgotten when he had left Smallville.  
Yet here she stood.  
"Miss Sullivan," Lex replied. There was a silence  
"When did you get your PhD?" She asked. No hello Lex how are you. She was too realistic for such phony pleasantries.  
"I haven't yet actually," he answered. "I'm still under review. But it's really only a matter of time." His words weren't conceited. Lex wasn't stuck up, never had been. He just accepted the way things were and refused to show false modestly. Hardly a fault.  
"So Chloe Sullivan, how have you been? Journalism major I assume?"  
"Naturally," She grinned. Lex considered her. The smile jolted him back to Smallville, a place he had tried to put out of his mind for three years now.  
"It's been a long time," He said, giving a small smile in return. "You're all grown up." Which was true as a matter of fact. Chloe's face had matured into a woman. The last of her baby fat was gone and her hair was darker, much more adult, though still short. She also retained her cutting sense of style. It all suited her. Actually, she was quite beautiful. Chloe looked behind her. Her classmates were giving her dirty looks, angry that she was taking so long and waiting their turn to get to know the professor. She turned back to Lex.  
"What are you doing right now?" She asked him. He looked at her, always so calm and unfazed.  
"Well why do you ask?"  
"Well I don't have class, let's grab a coffee."  
Lex actually had to suppress his instant suspicious reaction. It wasn't often that anyone asked Lex to do anything without wanting something from him. But Chloe didn't. It was a nice feeling. Lex smiled despite himself.  
"That Chloe, would be very nice." 


	2. Coffee

Author's note: Thanks for the reviews and emails. It's so true that people giving a little encouragement and criticism makes all the difference. It defiantly motivates me. Please keep telling me what I'm doing wrong or right. Mostly the wrong; I want to write a good story.  
  
Chapter 2: Coffee  
  
They talked of menial things. Music, movies, politics. Her eclectic tastes surprised him. It really wasn't often you met a girl who could appreciate such a wide variety of music; The Rat Pack, Pink Floyd or Radiohead, depending on her mood.  
  
"Raised on big band I suppose to like Goodman," he posed. But she shook her head. "No, dad was into country music. I guess I picked it up on my own."  
  
Fascinating. He couldn't source her interests, her expressions. People have reasons they like what they do, usually pick it up from parents or friends. Where was she getting it from? It was interesting and a reflection of a depth of character that Lex appreciated.  
  
Yet there was also so much about her that was the typical college student. That was interesting as well. Sometimes when he was expecting a giggle, she'd shoot back with a quick retort or philosophy and other times, when he was expecting a strong opinion, he got the young girl. She had the qualities that he remembered from Smallville and so much more. Her opinions and retorts were now more a reflection of who she really was, and less the eager desire to seem intelligent and different than the average teenager. She showed a confidence in herself that she had lacked as a girl in Smallville. When she was a teenager, her confidence in her intelligence and ability never seemed to extend to her general confidence in herself as a woman. All grown up now, things were different..  
  
It was all very surprising. She wasn't predictable like so many he knew. Lex had no patience for predictability; there was no excuse for it. Maybe that's why he had always been so drawn to Clark. The mystery Clark had always tried so hard to hide, but never quite succeeded in was irresistible to Lex. Clark always drew you in for more, to see what the secret he had underneath the painfully predictable and 'nice guy' exterior.  
  
Clark however, was a subject avoided between him and Chloe. He knew that Clark was Chloe's roommate, although they had never dated. But that was as far as it went. For Lex, Clark was in the past. He had been lied to for three years by one of his best friends, hell, his only friend. And Clark had the nerve to place the blame on him, and turn against him. That was where his association with Clark ended. He no longer wanted anything to do to Clark.  
  
Forgetting Smallville and all it entailed wasn't exactly a difficult thing either these days. Lex had other things to worry about, far more pressing matters. The death of his father three years ago had left Lex with the chance he had been waiting for since he began working for Luthercorp; to run things his own way, no longer be a slave to his father's whims. The constant battle of wills between his father and himself was at an end. He had won, if only by surviving.  
  
The freshly renamed Lexcorp was one of the most promising new companies of it's time. But it wasn't without its problems. His father had left him a legacy of corruption and deception that Lex was still trying to sift through. Everyday seemed to bring him new things that he had never known about the inner workings of his father's company. It was as though Lionel continued to run the damn thing from beyond the grave. It was all he could do to keep the scandals from leaking into the Daily Planet. Cleaning up the Luthor image was a full time job, and a job he knew his father had ensured he would be deep in for years to come. The bastard didn't go down without a fight.  
  
Of course Chloe couldn't resist her typical intrusive questions. She leaned over the counter of the coffee shop in a way that told Lex she was about to ask him something she had been dying to ask him since she laid eyes on him.  
  
"So what's going on with that new drug Mexalort that Lexcorp is trying to sell to the pharmaceutical companies? Studies have been showing that it causes heart failure in obese female lab rats and you're still trying to get it approved. Isn't that a little. questionable? At least ethically speaking."  
  
"I was under the impression that this was just a coffee to catch up," Lex replied, half amused at her persistence, but also half annoyed at it. Chloe shrugged and flashed him a brilliant and half sheepish smile.  
  
"Hey, can't blame a girl for trying," Lex was once again reminded what a fabulous reporter she would make someday. Hell, she almost made him want to enlighten her on the inner workings of Lexcorp and bare it all. Almost.  
  
"Well Chloe, I'm sure in about five years you will be a formidable opponent and when that day comes, you'll no longer have the luxury of being able to sit in a coffee shop like this one with me. I'll be forced to avoid you in fear of all the bad press you'll create for me."  
  
Chloe smiled and couldn't help feeling extremely flattered by the comment. It was nice that Lex Luthor was sitting across from her telling her that she was going to be successful, even if he was half joking. He always had the ability to charm everyone. She decided to drop her questions, despite her hunger to learn about some of the strange stories coming out of Lexcorp these days. She changed the subject.  
  
"So how do you manage to balance being a professor and the head of one of the fastest growing companies in the world, Lex?"  
  
Lex closed his eyes briefly and gave her a wry smile.  
  
"Well if I had my way, the teaching would be seriously reduced. Reduced to nothing actually. I actually have to do the hours for my doctorate. This is my last semester."  
  
"Why the PhD anyway?" Chloe asked. "I mean it's not like you really need it. Though a PhD at 24, I must say, I'm impressed. My plan doesn't have me getting that until I'm like 30." Lex smiled.  
  
"I admire that you know exactly what you want to do. I personally figured I had to get a PhD to give me a little more credibility in the office. I'm pretty young compared to most of my business partners. I need to be taken more seriously." Chloe laughed.  
  
"I didn't know people had the nerve not to take Lex Luthor seriously!" Lex fixed her with a smile she couldn't quite read.  
  
"Well they don't," he replied. "I'm just ensuring that it stays that way. Being the head of a multibillion dollar company at 24 can be a dangerous place. I just have to maintain my position, no matter what it takes. And people need to have faith and trust. I believe it was Nicolo Machiavelli who wrote about the need for a leader to achieve the respect of his people."  
  
"Well I believe that it was not to achieve respect, but fear that Machiavelli wrote about. Didn't he also write that it's better to be feared than loved and ruthless rather than merciful. Is that what you think?"  
  
"I didn't know that you'd read "The Prince," Lex avoided the question.  
  
"I've read a lot of political philosophy," Chloe shrugged. "but I'm not sure if I necessarily agree with the Machiavelli way of doing things being the best way to go."  
  
"Well I just think that you do what you must to maintain power, no matter what the cost. My father taught me that. One of the few things of value he taught me."  
  
"I was sorry to hear about his death," Chloe replied, not really sure what to say about Lionel Luthor. Her dealings with Lex's father were something she'd never really talked about with Lex and she wasn't sure how to start now.  
  
"Lying doesn't really become you, Chloe," Lex answered. "my father never did anything to win your love, of that I am sure."  
  
She smiled ruefully at that.  
  
"It's just one of those things you say, sorry." She actually remembered a strong sense of relief when Lionel had died. Her one link to the betrayal of her best friend had died with him. It was a source of guilt that would always plague her. She saw Lex look at his watch and looked at hers also as a reflex. Amazing. Who would have thought they would have sat there for two hours. And they had barely even discussed Smallville or anything of the past.  
  
"Well I'm sorry to be the one to end this, but I have a meeting I have to get to," Lex stood up and took out his wallet "coffee is on me." Lex was surprised to find himself disappointed to have to leave her. Chloe was refreshing company. "it was great to see you Chloe,"  
  
"Wow, uh, you too, Lex," Chloe stood up and put her coat on. "I guess I'd better hit the library, I don't want to fail your class after all." Lex smirked at that.  
  
"Well if your grades ever seem to be slipping, don't hesitate to stop by after hours. I could arrange some private. tutoring." Chloe blushed slightly and hoped in vain that he didn't notice. Unfortunately, Lex Luthor never failed to notice everything. She was annoyed with herself that his minor flirtations still got to her the way they had when she was in high school.  
  
"You'd better watch what you say, Professor, or you just might have me taking up on you," Ha, at least she could match him. Lex, undaunted, took her hand, brought it to his lips and brushed it briefly. She hated the way her breath slightly caught at this. You could say a lot of things about Lex Luthor, but you couldn't say he wasn't charming. And he certainly looked good.  
  
"I look forward to it," Then he was walking away.  
  
"I'll see you in class, Chloe." 


End file.
